MAN, THE IMAGE AND LIKENESS OF GOD Joseph S. Benner

Converted to text for easier reading and printing — original article provided at the end.

PAPER No. 40 APRIL, 1932

In the first chapter of Genesis we are told that God created man in His own image and likeness. Pythagoras tells us that the Universal Creator formed two things in His own image — the universe with its system of suns, moons and stars, called the macrocosm; and man, in whose nature is duplicated the whole universe, called the microcosm. We would add a third, by stating that our planet earth and all planets are formed in the image and likeness of God.

It stands to reason that if both the universe and man are patterned after God’s image, then each planet in the universe as well as all men must follow that same pattern. We will go further and repeat what scientific investigation tells us — that each cell in man’s body has the appearance of a miniature man. And we know that science now claims that each atom in man’s body is a solar system in miniature, with a positive proton serving as the sun around which revolve negative electrons as planets.

In this article we will show man’s definite relation and likeness to his mother earth, to his father God, and to the universe. Because we can see only the outer appearance of

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the earth and the universe and cannot actually see God, we will have to tell you of their inner and real nature by analogy or correspondence, reasoning by pure logic, the method used by philosophers and mystics throughout the ages, and on the accepted principle that “As above, so below. As below, so above.”

You who would essay the Spiritual Heights must train yourself so to reason; for the highest function of the mind is to reason, even as the highest function of the heart is intuitive understanding, and working together there is nothing that needs to be known that cannot be known.

Spiritual truths cannot be understood by the separate human mind, but by pure reasoning and analogy — by starting with a known truth and by reasoning step by step, supported by analogy, carrying the consciousness up to a realization of the higher or spiritual truth sought — the mind may be lifted up and united temporarily with the Cosmic Mind and from It receive what is needed. Such is the method largely used in the Impersonal teachings and in all teachings where pure truth is revealed. Unless what is stated is accepted both by your reason and your intuition, it is not truth to you.

In the lifting up process, as the reasoning approaches the truth about to be revealed, you will note that something seemingly “above” opens, and a ray of spiritual “light” pours through and “illumines” the mind and what could not be “seen” before is thereby clearly perceived. The lower or separate mind then “accepts” the truth, for it is “lifted up” into the consciousness where that truth is: thus what was separate for the moment becomes united — in the visioning of that particular truth. From this you can learn what “separateness” really is — that it is but ignorance of the truth. When a mind actually knows a truth, it becomes that truth. It does not need ever again to go through any mental process to reach it; it simply is that truth, which is then an integral part of consciousness, as is knowing how to walk and talk.

But do not confuse true knowing with the above temporary lifting of the consciousness by reasoning to a perception of truth. That truth thus becomes only an intellectual concept in your separate mind, and is not soul-knowing— which cannot be until by using and living that truth it becomes as natural a part of your consciousness as is how to walk and talk; which means that it has been built into and now is a part of your sub- or soul-consciousness. That may take years to accomplish, and may not be accomplished in this lifetime — with certain great truths.

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From the statement made at the beginning of this article that man is made in the image and likeness of God, it can be seen that the way man may know God is by perfectly knowing his self; and by the same criterion he may know what he wishes to know about the universe. From this it can also be seen why there was written over the gates of ancient temples as an admonition to those seeking therein to learn wisdom, the words, “Man, Know Thy Self.”

By a study of some of the mysteries of man’s nature, we will uncover some of the truths regarding the nature of the earth, of the universe and of God.

First, we must clearly realize that man, being the image and likeness of God, cannot be what he appears to mortal sight. There must be an invisible side of his nature that is actually Godlike, partaking of all of God’s nature, attributes and powers, if he is God’s image; it must always have been so, for so he was created, which means that he will always be Godlike.

Then it must be man’s misunderstanding and wrong beliefs that prevent his seeing and knowing his true nature. This can easily be accounted for either by the ignorance of his teachers or by his being purposely wrongly taught from the beginning. But the time has now come when man must be taught the truth, and be given the opportunity to realize, to assume and to call upon some of the divine qualities and powers of his God nature, so that he may learn to be and act his true self.

With that purpose in view we will study some of the qualities and powers of this invisible side of man’s nature; but not invisible, remember, to all men, for it is visible to certain types of minds more highly endowed than the masses — those who have developed their soul and spiritual sight; and such can be numbered by the thousands at the present time.

We have shown you that man is not a physical but a spiritual being; that he is in reality consciousness, an actual center of God’s or the Universal Consciousness; that his soul, which is the sum total of the consciousness of the trillions of cells of his so-called physical body, is the real man; and that this soul or real man — the invisible image body of God — is the temple or garment of the Holy Spirit, a Son of God, who being consciously in God’s Consciousness is the channel or instrument through which God’s will manifests on earth.

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Now imagine, if you can, the nature of this Son of God, your Highest Self, the Christ Man living in your invisible image-body. Think of the vast powers of this expression of God, all resident within the image-body and of course within the so-called physical body, but under perfect control, and undreamed of by the ordinary human mind. Try to realize that this image-body is actually a body of consciousness, the consciousness of the trillions of cell centres comprising your soul consciousness, and that, even as in your physical body, this consciousness expresses through certain force centres out manifesting in the physical as glands and nerve plexi, and that these force centres account for and control all the functioning of the chief organs of the body.

If you were endowed with clairvoyant sight and could see clearly an evolved man’s soul body, it would appear to you as a scintillating galaxy of stars, each one of which is a force centre emanating rays of different coloring and beauty, the vital organs being the most beautiful and appearing as whirling vortices of light of great brilliancy. In fact the body is such a vast network of psychic centres, connected by innumerable currents of energy crossing each other and coming from these brilliant generators of etheric and magnetic forces, that it is said to resemble a solar system of suns, stars, planets and moons, with comets circling in their orbits among them.

What does that suggest to you? Does it not help to account for the multiplicity of forces operating in your own nature, and expressing themselves in so many ways — as impulses, urges, desires and aspirations of the soul; as thoughts, hopes, longings and ambitions of the mind; as loves and hates, enthusiasms and fears, doubts, worries, anger, remorse, envy, jealousy, irritability and bitterness of the emotions; and as appetites, lusts and passions of the flesh? And can you not see that you, within your being, are a universe of unfathomed powers and possibilities, of untested and uncontrolled forces of tremendous potency?

We will not dwell upon the trillions of cell centres of consciousness of your body representing the inhabitants of your universe (what are you in the Solar Universe as a man but a more complex centre of consciousness, and who can tell if in reality you are any greater or any different in consciousness from any cell of your body?); nor upon the various organs thereof — the brain, lungs, stomach, bowels, liver, kidneys, generative centre, arms, hands, legs and feet, representing the different planetary systems of your universe, with their interplay of forces and direct relations one to another, all working together in perfect harmony to express the life and health of your being. Or we might see certain of the vital organs as representing the planetary forces of your Solar System.

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Nor will we more than mention the likeness of the organs of your body to the various races, nations, and governments of the earth, all organized and working with more or less harmony in contributing to the well-being of the planet; leaving it to you to follow out these comparisons or analogies as far as you can, knowing that the further you go in the study of them, the more remarkable will you find their likeness.

We wish instead in this article to confine ourselves to a consideration of man’s inner nature and the forces that constitute it, being not so concerned about his outer or physical aspect, although of necessity we will point to certain phases of it manifesting as a direct result of the operation of these forces.

Man is a centre of the Universal Consciousness, but his consciousness is naturally affected and influenced by its reactions to the thought and emotional forces constantly flowing into it from without. The consciousness of most men is wide open, because they have not trained their minds to choose what they want in it and to refuse entrance to all distasteful, negative and harmful forces. They have not yet learned that it is such that not only bring all inharmonies into their lives, but they either clog up or close entirely the avenues connecting their minds with the Universal Consciousness, which is always waiting to pour into them the riches of Divine Mind.

Man being a centre of Universal Consciousness should then always be connected with it, should be a part of it, all that is in it being ever available for his use. This is wholly true of the image and likeness of man within, and when the outer consciousness is turned within and is unconcerned and undisturbed by what appears or what comes from without, it naturally is always open to and is constantly receiving from within the blessings of Divine Mind; and consequently the outer life is expressing and in fact is patterned after the divine life manifesting within in the Kingdom of Divine Mind.

This means that all the forces coming from within the Universal Consciousness are good, harmonious and beneficent. Then all that is different or contrary to them must come from without — from men’s human minds that think themselves separate and apart from the Divine Mind. Such “separate” thinking naturally creates all kinds of seemingly opposing forces, but which in reality are the forces of the Law seeking to press man’s consciousness back again into harmony and union with Divine Mind.

Man not realizing this however resists and fights unceasingly against these forces, seeing only evil and malevolence in them, and thereby causing continual inharmony to manifest in his body and life. He has not yet learned to cease resisting, to let go and

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turn within, and thereby to connect up his mind once more with the Divine Mind; and thus permit the Law to press his consciousness back into the harmony from which it had strayed, when that which is manifesting may likewise be released and can also come back into harmony.

This should enable you to trace out the causes of the inharmonious forces now operating in your body and outer life. These causes, remember, are resident in your consciousness, and your consciousness consists of the consciousness of every cell of your body, and likewise of your entire mental atmosphere. Not until you remove the causes and thus cleanse the consciousness of mind, body and thought-life, can harmony manifest. We hope that is now plain.

Realizing now that all is consciousness and that all things that appear exist only as thought pictures in your “separate” mind, we will relate your mind and its consciousness first with your so-called physical body.

Remember that all being consciousness, then all things take place and all forces operate only in consciousness. Then within your mind we must look for the causes and for the actual forces and things now manifesting in your body and life.

For instance, you think you have a body, but if you will analyze the thought picture in your mind of that body, you will find it traces back to your idea of being a “self ” and separate from other selves; when in reality you have no actual body and you are not separate, for you are a Spiritual being, a centre of consciousness in Divine Mind. Just as all the ideas in your consciousness are centres of, within, and a part of your mind, so are you an idea, a centre of consciousness of Divine Mind.

So that idea of a self, born after your departure and descent from Eden, eventually developed into a fully organized mind and in the mind of the race as a seemingly substantial, physical body. But it was only a thought body that confined within itself your idea of what you call your “self ” when that idea is pure spirit or consciousness. Try to see this clearly, for it will then enable you to grasp easily what follows.

You have a head, and a face with distinctive features, because of your idea of your mind being housed within the head in a peculiar substance called a brain; and because in your mind are confined all the different attributes and qualities of your soul or consciousness, these qualities out picture themselves in your face and human personality. In your consciousness you perceived various facts or truths, and in the

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course of many ages and getting far away from your Edenic consciousness, there appeared in your “head” eyes, through which as your spiritual sight grew dimmer you sought to “see” the truths that formerly were so clearly visible to you. Likewise there appeared ears in your efforts to hear what before easily came to you through intuition. Your weakening faculty of “sensing” the truth developed a nose, and the dulling of your discriminative faculty developed the physical sense of taste.

And now we come to the mouth with its teeth and tongue. What is it for but the “biting off ” of a new idea that comes to your attention, “tasting” it carefully to see if you are interested, then “chewing” it finely (meditating upon it, getting out all of its meaning, so that it may be fully understood) extracting all of its juices, and finally “swallowing” it (accepting or believing it as a fact)? Then according to whether or not you have exercised proper discrimination or taste, have thoroughly meditated upon or chewed it, will your stomach (your sub-consciousness) be able perfectly to digest it, build it into blood (life force) and then into your system (your soul consciousness) fully assimilated, thereby creating perfect health (harmony and happiness of mind).

In like manner were every organ, feature and part of your body developed, in the effort of different faculties and qualities of the mind and soul to express themselves through this physical shell that covered them. Lungs, heart, liver, kidneys, spleen, sexual organs, bowels, rectum, legs, arms, bones, nerves, hair,— all relate to certain forces or activities of the consciousness; and in order fully to know yourself, a study of this relation will prove highly profitable.

It is not within the province of this and future articles to indicate all the connections between the body and consciousness, leaving it to those who feel led to such study to trace them out for themselves. Those who wish help in this direction can find it in a remarkable book by F. L. Rawson, entitled “Life Understood,” published in England, which we can procure on order. It contains highly illuminative instruction on the law of right thinking and is used as a textbook by thousands of metaphysicians and students of the Rawson and “Absolute” schools of thought all over the world. It contains 700 pages and its price is $5.25 postpaid.

Because of lack of room in this issue we will continue this subject in the next Paper, aiming to round it out more fully and then to extend the relation and comparison of man’s consciousness to that of the Earth and our Solar System. Thus showing how man is actually God, and how God is truly expressing Himself identically in the Solar System, in the earth, and in man; but in each only as much of Himself as the

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consciousness of each is unfolded enough to accept and permit; yet all the time all of the consciousness they have being His consciousness.

A VISION OF THE NEW DAY

Many have reported visions telling of the doom awaiting the Old Order and its institutions, but we have had none sent us that contain so definite a promise of what will follow the passing of the Old Order as the one described in the letter below: “Dear Ones:

I have just come out of an hour’s glorious meditation, during which I seemed to become as a white dove, taking my part in a most beautiful Vision, which I must send to you before I take up the day’s duties.

“From before a dark cave in what seemed to be rugged mountain, a huge stone began to roll forward. As it moved there appeared tongues of fire which went before it, while out of the blackness behind it there came the Christ. In His right hand He held a shining sword, on the blade were the words “Truth” and “Love,” one on each side, which seemed to be written in what appeared to be scintillating diamonds, that flashed as He turned it. On His left arm there sat what seemed a white dove, holding in its beak a leaf.

“As the Christ moved forward, the stone and the fire moved on before Him and behind Him there came, almost as if it streamed out from Him, a brilliant light, which was fan-shaped and seemed to reach all over the world, as did the tongues of fire. As the Christ moved onward, the stone became less and less, also the fire, but in its passing over the world it had wiped out all negation. All around white doves flew, dropping leaves onto the world.

“After the stone and the fire had passed, I saw that the guns of war had become harvesting machines, and the men who had been crouched behind machine-guns were milking cows; instead of the rumble and roar of war, there was only the hum of industry, the singing of happy contented hearts, and the joyous noise of little children at play. And it seemed that all “heads” of governments were no more, but Christ was the Head; and that He had appointed one over each state or country to guide and

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counsel. All was peace, plenty, love and unity of Brotherhood. A great peace fills my heart.”

This vision, because of its true symbolism, makes the interpretation we give more convincing in its prophecy and more happily encouraging to those who have been inclined to look only on the dark and destructive side of the change now taking place in the world preparatory to the coming of the New Order. It is truly a promise of what will be, and we are glad to pass it on to our dear ones. This friend has not yet had Papers 37 and 38 and so was not influenced in her meditation by what they contain.

The dark cave in the rugged mountain from before which a huge stone began to roll downward, symbolizes the cave or hollowness in the mountain of materiality, in which are confined the dark forces of selfishness and greed and their progeny that always breed destruction and disintegration, but which eventually loosen the great stone of self as its rapacity grows so that it destroys everything in its path as it rolls down the mountain side to the valley below, where such forces do not thrive. The tongues of fire were these forces accompanying the stone and aiding in completing the destruction, so that nothing remained of anything that formerly appeared on the mountain side.

All unaware of His Presence, the Christ, the master and ruler of all forces, when they become too powerful, releases them from control and they immediately begin to destroy their own creations and all that have been built on that mountain. But He, the great Spirit of Light and Love, always follows close after, flashing His sword of Truth and sending forth His messages of comfort carried by doves of peace to all able to receive them; while the Light from His Army of the Heavenly Host illumines the consciousness of those hearts and minds that are turned to Him, enabling them to see and escape the destruction that overtakes others.

After He has allowed the stone of selfishness and the fires of greed to destroy and burn up all that could be consumed, there was left a clean world in which such dark forces could no longer thrive, for in it only Light and Love ruled the hearts of men, and the darkness of self could not approach, no more than can darkness be where there is a brilliant light.

In this vision we are shown what will naturally follow in such a world. It is a beautiful confirmation, dear ones, of the Master’s promise explained in the last two Papers, and as reported in Mat. 24 and 25, and assures us that the time is soon here when “That

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Day” will be realized. May we all watch carefully and pray that as many be saved as possible.

EASTER

We are sorry that not all will receive this Paper before Easter, but conditions were such that it could not be gotten out earlier. This has been a remarkable Winter in more ways than one. It has been different — the fore part being more like November and the real Winter here in the East not appearing until March.

But many of you know that even as has the weather seemed, so have the internal forces of your own nature cumulated so that it has almost been a crucifixion through which you have been passing the last month. In one way or another have you been tried almost to the breaking-point.

Can you not see that it is but the effort of the Christ Force within your nature and within all nature trying to throw off all bonds that are holding It back, and attempting to burst through and take possession and express the fullness and perfection of the Christ Life? The harder your trials have been, the surer have there been burned away qualities and tendencies that have hindered the expression of your Spiritual nature. It is His nature preparing His body for the Resurrection. No, not His physical body, but His image and likeness body, His Christ body within all nature, so that it will be ready for Easter morn.

Will you not then cease resisting—and compel your human mind, which alone resists, to let go utterly and permit this Christ Force, His Consciousness, the Universal Life urge within you, to come forth and take possession and do Its will, live Its life in you, without hindrance of any kind. Oh, if we could only get you to do this—then you will truly know what is the resurrection body, and what is the real meaning of Easter.

Listen to this that came while we were writing this article:

“I recently had an experience. I woke up one morning about 6AM. I dressed and went down stairs. Had had trouble sleeping because of a cough. As I sat by the fireside smoking, my first thought was, what a nuisance a cough is to disturb one’s sleep. Following arose the thought of the physical body being a handicap. How it hurts when it falls down, gets too hot or too cold, gets tired or sick, etc. Then I thought,

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‘Why, I am Divine—I am a Spiritual Being! This thought was so strong that it made me feel I am Divine—and I had the consciousness of my true existence as Divine Consciousness. Also that the sensation or consciousness of my physical body was a falsity, a lie.

“While I remained aware of my physical body, yet at the same time I was experiencing that only the I AM, plus consciousness, was truth. I kept feeling that my body is a lie, an untruth. All things affecting my body also are lies. I thought, how strange! I am body conscious, yet this perception of a body is false. I also thought, all things that ever happened are lies. Only the I AM is true, and it is perfect and dwells on a high plane of consciousness where all is perfection, goodness, peace, love, ease — an Utopia.

“Also it occurred to me that all this depression, kidnappings, hunger, want, poverty in the world is a lie, a non-reality, a delusion put into the world mind; and the real, the true and the beautiful selfdom enters or is perceived by man’s mind.

“Also I thought, whatever happens to me, to my physical consciousness, is not true. The real I of me is the Infinite and cannot be affected by the finite. All that does not concern the real Me is but appearance, is an illusion of the senses. And the world of appearance, what our five senses report, although seemingly real, yet it never approaches the reality of the True World of the I AM.

“To once isolate one’s self in consciousness with this Real I, to hold in that consciousness for awhile; to fix the process or faculty of being “I AM” conscious—is to dwell in the awareness of one’s Godhood, and to become conscious of one’s Wisdom and Power.

“I however realize that in my experiences, what is revealed to me does me or any one else no good unless I can use this Power and Wisdom. To the man who is poverty stricken, sick, etc., how futile to tell him these appearances of limitations are but delusions. So I have always sought to be conscious of the power to create and to correct untruths in consciousness and appearances instantly.

“In some experiences of the past I sat imagining myself as healing different ones, raising dead people; gazing out of the window and realizing all that I had to do was to speak, and the flat plains would rise to mountain heights; also to gaze at the fields in

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Winter, to speak, and have the snow dissolve and the farms produce according to my desire and will.”

Think on the above until you get all of its true meaning, and you will get a glimpse of what is your Resurrection Body, and how to rise into and work in it. For that body is only that of your Christ Consciousness, where you see not with mortal eyes, but with God’s eyes and understanding His image and likeness in all men — His perfection; likewise see the goodness and perfection in all things and all conditions — their eternal harmony; for is not He all in all?

And knowing this will not your Word of Truth drive out all error in consciousness and destroy the manifest lie? Try it and see! The Word of Truth spoken from a consciousness that KNOWS is all powerful.

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